Movable stop devices for calculating machines



Sept. 11, 1962 E. BACHER 3,053,442

MOVABLE STOP DEVICES FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed D80. 6, 1960 United rates Patent Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,053,442 MOVABLE STOP DEVICES FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Eric Bacher, Yverdon, Switzerland, assignor to Paillard S.A., Vaud, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Filed Dec. 6, 1960, Ser. No. 74,126 Claims priority, application Switzerland Dec. 7, 1959 6 Claims. (Cl. 235-60) Movable stop devices for calculating machines are known, comprising a carriage carrying a series of movable stops constituted by elements sliding parallel to one another and arranged in a number of rows, each stop being capable of sliding longitudinally so as to occupy two positions, an escapement mechanism enabling a carriage to advance step by step under the action of a spring along a direction transversely relatively to the said rows and in the direction of longitudinal movement of the stops, control members permitting of moving each stop so as to move it from a first into a second position, each control member having a part adapted to come into contact with a stop of a row, said part being movable in the direction of movement of the carriage in such a manner as to permit of the movement of the carriage whilst the control member acts on a stop.

In a known device the escapement mechanism is controlled by the control member which is lowered, that is to say by the keys of the keyboard. As a result the lowered key should be released before it is possible to lower another key, so as to permit of the correct functioning of the escapement mechanism, which prevents obtaining high speeds for the introduction of figures.

The present invention has for its object to remedy this inconvenience. It has for its object a movable stop device permitting of obtaining a high speed of introduction of the figures by reason of the fact that the escapernent device comprises an actuating part disposed opposite the row of stops which is opposite the said control members, this actuating part being arranged in such a manner as to be moved by that of the stops which is lowered in such a manner as to permit of a complete escapement cycle of the carriage.

One form of construction of the device forming the subject of the invention is shown diagrammatically and by way of example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of the device, partly in section, the direction of movement of the carriage being perpendicular to the plane of the figure.

FIG. 2 is a simplified section on the line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are views analogous to FIG. 2, showing two positions of operation.

FIG. 5 shows a device for retaining the carriage.

FIG. 6 shows a particular form of a control member.

The device comprises a carriage 1 constituted by two horizontal plates 2 and 3 secured to two lateral arms 4 and 5. The carriage can slide along a rod 6 (solely visible in FIG. 1) which is secured to a base plate 7 carrying a brace 8. One edge of the plate 2 is engaged in a slot of a part 9 secured to the brace 8 for preventing the carriage from pivoting about the rod 6.

The carriage carries a series of movable stops 10, these stops being constituted by elements sliding parallel to one another and disposed in a number of rows. FIG. 1 shows one of these stops, whilst FIG. 2 shows one stop of each row. Each stop 10 is capable of sliding longitudinally between two positions. Each of these two positions is determined by the introduction of a portion of a spring 33 in one of two notches 34 and which are provided on each of the stops 10. The five stops located at the left of FIG. 2 are in their rest position, whilst the five stops at the right, are in their active position, their lower part projecting under the carriage so as to constitute, in a known manner, a stop for the elements of the calculating mechanism of the machine, not shown, and in general formed by sliding parts carrying teeth. The carriage is subjected to the action of a spring 11 which is hooked, at one end, to the framework of the machine and, at the other end, to a lug (not shown) on the arm 5. The spring 11 tends to move the carriage in the direction of the arrow F shown in FIG. 2.

The carriage is retained, against the action of the spring 11 by a pawl 13 hinged to a spindle 14 secured to the base plate 7. The free end or beak of this pawl engages holes 15 forming notches in the lower plate 3 of the carriage. This pawl 13 is subjected to the action of a spring 16 which urges the beak of the pawl into engagement with one of the holes 15.

The pawl 13 is actuated by a plate 17 hinged on the same spindle 14 and bearing against a peg 18 of the pawl 13. This plate 17 is subjected to the action of a tension spring 19 tending to cause it to pivot in an anti-clockwise direction, so that it bears against the lower face of the stops 10.

Means are provided for the temporary locking of the plate 17 in the position shown in FIG. 2. These means are formed by a movable stop 20 constituted by the bent end of an arm 21 of U-shape, pivoting about a spindle 22 fixed to the base plate 7. This arm 21 carries a clamp 23 elastically engaging one edge of the plate 3 of the carriage. The arm 21 also carries a pin 24 engaged in a slot 25 of the plate 7 and limiting its possible movement.

Above the carriage 1 are located control members constituted by keys 26 of which only one is shown in FIG. 1, each key being secured to a plate 27 sliding in slots provided in two parallel plates 28 and 29 secured to the framework of the machine. A spring 30 repels the plate 27 upwards until shoulders 31 of this plate abut against the plate 28. The lower part of the plate 27 carries a coiled spring 32 of which the longitudinal axis is normally parallel to the direction of movement of the stops 10.

The operation of the device illustrated is as follows:

When first introducing a numeral into the calculating machine, all the stops 10 of the carriage are in their upper position, that is to say in their position of rest, and the carriage is moved in the direction opposite that of arrow F to the limit of its permissible travel against the action of its spring 11. One stop of each successive row is then depressed by means of a corresponding key 26. Each time a key has been depressed the carriage moves under the action of spring 11 in the direction of arrow P so as to bring the following row opposite the control members. In 'FIG. 2 a stop has already been lowered in the first five rows, which are at the right of the figure, and the sixth row of stops is disposed opposite the control members. FIG. 1 shows that each row comprises twelve stops which can be brought simultaneously opposite twelve springs 32 of twelve control members. However, a single key 26 of the keyboard has been shown in FIG. 1 so as not to overload the drawing.

For introducing a figure into a decimal row of the machine, a key 26 is pressed, so that the spring 32, carried by the lower end of the plate 27 of this key, pushes the stop 10 which is opposite thereto and brings it into the second position, as shown in FIG. 3. The lower part of the stop 10 in turn pushes the plate 17 which thus pivots about the spindle 14 and pushes downwardly the peg 18 of the pawl 13. This latter then pivots at the same time as the plate 17 and its beak passes out of a hole 15 and thus releases the carriage which moves in the direction of the arrow F under the action of the spring 11.

FIG. 4 shows the position of the different parts of the device when the carriage has been moved through one step. The spring 32 of the control member, which has moved stop a to its operative position, has bent later ally by reason of the displacement of the carriage and occupies the position shown in FIG. 4. During displacement of the carriage, the lower part 36 (FIG. 4) of the stop 10a has left the plate 17, so that this has resumed its normal raised position thus permitting the pawl 13 to engage the following hole 15 under the action of its spring 16. The carriage has thus advanced one step and is located in the position permitting the introduction of a numeral in the following decimal row.

When the device occupies the position shown in FIG. 4, a fresh key can be lowered before the key shown is released, which permits of the introduction of a fresh numeral and the advance of the carriage through a fresh step. Since the movement of the carriage takes place in a single period of time in order to pass from one row to the following row and since a new key can be depressed before the preceding key has been released, the numerals can be introduced at a very high speed at a lesser fatigue for the operator. This device is also very advantageous in the case of remote control means in which no carriage displacement indicator has been provided. In fact, such an indicator may easily be omitted by reason of the security in operation of the device described.

Before the start of a fresh operation, the carriage should be returned to its initial position, that is to say into a position such that the row of stops at the extreme right in FIG. 2, is placed under the springs 32 of the control members. During movement of the carriage in the direction opposite to that of the arrow F, the lower parts of the stops which have been placed in their active position, come into contact with an inclined edge 37 of the plate 17, this edge forming a ramp adapted to repel the stops to their upper position, that is to say in their position of rest. *For this purpose the plate 17 is maintained in position by the introduction of the stop 2% under the edge 37. This operation is carried out automatically by the clamp 23 which elastically clamps one edge of the lower plate 3 of the carriage. When this is moved in the opposite direction to the arrow F, the frictional force between the clamp 23 and the carriage causes the arm 21 to pivot about the spindle 22, in such a manner that its end 20, forming a stop, comes into position under the plate 17 so as to prevent the latter from pivoting when a stop 10 comes into contact with its inclined edge 37. When the carriage has been moved completely to the left, as viewed in FIG. 2, and is released, it efiects a slight movement towards the right until it is stopped by the introduction of the pawl 13 into the first hole 15, so as to retain the first row of stops under the control members. During this slight movement to the right, the arm 21 pivots in the opposite direction, always by reason of the friction exerted by the clamp 23 on the plate of the carriage, so that its end 2% resumes the position shown in full lines in FIG. 2 and releases the plate 17.

The mechanism described lends itself well to the introduction of numerals in many decimal rows. It is practical, for example, to be able to introduce into a calculating machine a number of noughts following one another in a number by pressing a key lever once. FIG. 6 shows a key permitting the introduction of two successive zeros by a single actuation. For this purpose the lower part of the plate 27 carries two springs 32, so that the depression of this key causes the simultaneous movement of two stops appertaining to two successive rows of the carriage 1. The carriage then moves two steps, as the pawl 13 can only resume its locking position when the two lowered stops have left the plate 17.

It will be understood that the illustrated device can be modified in various respects. For example, the part of each control member which is to co-operate with a stop may advantageously be constituted by an arm hinged in such a manner as to permit of pressing a stop so as to move it to its active position, whilst being capable of pivoting so as to accompany the lateral movement of the carriage. It is advantageous that this laterally movable part of each control member can be deflected laterally in the two drections of movement of the carriage. In this manner it is not necessary to provide a device for locking the control members in their rest position during the return movement of the carriage.

I claim:

1. In a calculating machine, the combination of a reciprocable carriage, spring means for urging said carriage towards one direction, a plurality of parallel stops slidably mounted in said carriage for longitudinal movement and arranged in a series of parallel rows, the longitudinal axis of each of said rows being disposed transverse to the direction of travel of said carriage, each of said stops having means for releasably retaining the stop in either an active or rest position, a plurality of control means selectively operable to actuate one stop in each successive row of stops, each control means having an axially movable laterally flexible stop actuating part, said stop actuating parts being arranged in a row parallel to said rows of stops, escapement means to permit said spring-urged carriage to advance in a step by step movement to bring successive rows of stops in stationary register with said row of stop actuating parts, said escapement means including a movable release plate actuatable by a stop of said rows of stops when said stop is moved to said active position upon operation of a selected control means through the intermediary of its stop actuating part which flexes in the direction of travel of said carriage upon engagement by a stop of the next following row of stops thereby not to hinder said travel of said carriage in said one direction.

2. In a calculating machine, the combination of a reciprocable carriage, spring means for urging said carriage towards one direction, a plurality of parallel stops slidably mounted in said carriage for longitudinal movement and arranged in a series of parallel rows, the longitudinal axis of each of said rows being disposed transverse to the direction of travel of said carriage each of said stops having means for releasably retaining the stop in either an active or rest position, a plurality of control means selectively operable to actuate one stop in each successive row of stops, each control means having an axially movable laterally flexible stop actuating part, said stop actuating parts being arranged in a row parallel to said rows of stops, escapement means to permit said carriage to advance in said one direction in a step by step movement under the action of said spring means to bring successive rows of stops in stationary register with said row of stop actuating parts, said escapement means including a series of spaced notches provided in said carriage in the direction of travel thereof, a retaining pawl normally engaged in one of said notches, a spring for urging said pawl into engagement with the notches, and a movable release plate operatively connected to said pawl and actuatable by a stop of said rows of stops when said stop is moved to said active position to disengage temporarily said pawl from the notches against the action of said spring whereby said carriage can advance through one step during which movement said stop disengages said plate causing said pawl to return under the action of said spring to its normal carriage engaging position, said stop being moved to said active position by operation of a selected control means through the intermediary of its stop actuating part which flexes in the direction of travel of said carriage upon engagement by a stop of the near following row of stops thereby not to hinder said travel of said carriage in said one direction.

3. The combination according to claim 2, comprising, means for locking said plate in its normal position when said carriage is moved in a direction against the action of said spring means, and a ramp on said plate in the path of said rows of stops when in their active position for returning said stops to their rest position during the return of said carriage against the action of said spring means.

4. The combination according to claim 3, wherein said locking means comprises a movable stop, said stop being engageable with said plate through the action of a frictional clamp bearing against said carriage.

5. The combination according to claim 2, wherein each of said stop actuating parts comprises a coil spring, the central longitudinal axis of which is parallel to the direction of movement of said stops, said spring effecting the transmission of force necessary to move a stop into its active position and being capable of flexing laterally when said carriage moves following the application of force to a stop.

6. The combination according to claim 2, wherein at least one control means has at least two stop engaging parts arranged to simultaneously push one stop in at least two adjacent rows of stops into active positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Benninger Dec. 1, 1936 2,753,111 Tancred July 3, 1956 2,824,688 Mehan Feb. 25, 1958 

